The location, aesthetic and overall vibe of a studio space can sometimes influence the sound of the music that’s made in it almost as much as the gear it contains - and rarely in musical history has an album’s mood and tone reflected the story of its studio more than Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral.
Released in 1994, The Downward Spiral is a concept album that chronicles the descent of a fictional protagonist into nihilism, addiction and self-destruction. In a new video exploring the making of this seminal record, YouTuber AudioHaze tells the unlikely story of how Trent Reznor recorded the project in a house famous for being the site of the Tate murders, a grisly series of killings that saw actress Sharon Tate dispatched by the Manson Family cult along with four companions in 1969.
